In 2012, according to Andrew Ujifusa, it was estimated that $1.7 billion was spent towards standardized testing. This amounts to a quarter of one percent of total spending on K-12 spending in the US. State spending ranges from $144 per student to $7 per student. State standardized testing should end.

Matthew Chingos, a Senior Fellow and Director of the Education Policy Program at the Urban Institute, said “States should continue to combine into consortia to help cut the cost of standardized testing. However, this may be difficult because federal funding encouraging this will stop in 2014, just before the Common Core tests will officially commence.”

The District of Columbia is one of the highest spending states on student assessments at $144 unlike other states including New York, Oregon, and Utah only spend $7 on average.  As reported by Valerie Strauss, in some Midwestern districts in the US, $600 or more are spent on students K-2, $200 for grades 3-8, and $400-$600 for grades 9-11.In 2013, Eastern districts had spent more than $1,100 annually on testing from grades 6-11, totaling $400 from first to second grade, and $700-$800 for grades third through fifth. Money can also be lost from losing instructional time that was spent towards preparing for these tests. This is equivalent to $6.15 per hour, which adds up to the per-student cost of adding one hour to the school day.

Test spending averaged between 44 states and DC was an average of $65 for children in grades 3-9. Overall, six states were responsible for a large amount of standard testing costs of $669 million under the No Child Left Behind Act. The No Child Left Behind Act are federal education programs authorized by the state(s). According to American University, 81% of teachers think students spend too much time taking state-or district-mandated tests. Not only is testing expensive, it uses up lots of class time preparing. 8th graders spend the most time at 25.3 hours on average, and 10th graders are given the most tests averaging about 10.3 tests. By eliminating some of the testing given to students, teachers raise would increase by $550 or one percent.

Spending this much money on unnecessary tests have some states cutting the amount and time spent on testing down, replacing them with teacher-made assessments, and having the option for students to opt out of taking them. “…We continue to exhaust the money we do have on redundant standardized testing, instead of putting those funds where they matter most – in the classroom,” said PA State Senator Andy Dinniman who represents the 19th Senatorial District and serves as minority chair of the Senate Education Committee.

To take action to end testing, contact the PA Governor Tom Wolf.